Chapter 343 Chatting While Jack Rests
In a flash of light, the party was whisked away from the eleventh floor, reappearing in a much smaller place.
"I believe this place is better for chatting and is most suitable for Jack to rest. Would you disagree, Tralon?" asked Daruun, sitting himself down behind Jack"s old desk.
"Of course not. Bowzer, just lay Jack down at the side with this." Tralon retrieved a thick bedroll and laid it out for Jack. "So, Daruun, can I ask what you plan to do during your stay with the Leisure Guild? I must say, we"re honored to host you, though we may lack some of the appropriate accommodations."
"Don"t worry about me. Sleep is of no necessity to me and I would rather chat or speak with you and everyone else than waste time sleeping," replied Daruun. "As for my plans, I have my intentions but that mostly relies on Jack. I already know what he"ll be doing, so I also know what I"ll be doing by default, butI"ll allow him to explain himself.
"While you call in some lunch, how about I help you reactivate your teleportation hub?"
"Then allow me to order the finest spider soup in the Gilga. Money is of no worry to us now." Tralon smiled as he whipped out his contact crystal, whispering a few orders into it.
"Daruun, what happened at the end of Ancient Kartonia?" Argyle questioned, not easily abandoning his curiosity. "Why aren"t there ancient heroes anymore?"
Daruun grinned. "I"ll talk about that after Jack wakes up. Until then, let"s eat and talk about things that he wouldn"t mind missing out on."
Not waiting for Tralon to lead the way, Daruun opened the door to the office and waved for the others to follow. "Come. We"ll return here after we reactivate this circle. And since I"ll do it personally, then Tralon will have the energy to make your teleportation circle in Federal City, Argyle."
Tralon and Vixus followed without hesitation, leaving Argyle to trail behind. Bowzer decided to stay with Jack, also needing to rest himself and wanting to keep an eye on Mooldrat in the other corner.
There weren"t as many members of the Leisure Guild as there were members of the Fat Goose Guild, but it was the busiest time of day. For that reason, everyone was out and about, running errands across the different departments of the guild. So when the guild members saw an unfamiliar man leading their guild master, a councilman they didn"t yet know was a guild member, and the well-known owner of the Fat Goose, they were baffled.
No one dared to stop them or confront them since they were all such major public figures, but how could they not wonder who the mysterious man was to be leading them around?
After the four men reached the center of the guild"s property, they found an open courtyard. There were three wide gates to access it but they were quickly shut to keep common guild members from seeing what was about to take place.
Then, all of a sudden, an explosion of spatial energy burst toward the sky. All guild members felt the waves of powerful, raw mana wash over the guild grounds. And everyone knew it where it came from.
Before the guild members could open the gates, the rush of spatial energy had ended and the four men were already walking away.
They never managed to see what had happened, but everyone found out what the men had accomplished.
"The teleportation hub…"
"The hub is working!"
"They fixed the hub!"
As the common members started to rejoice at the sight of the glowing runes and archaic writing across the giant teleportation circle, they jumped for joy. This was a major event for the Leisure Guild, giving them something that no one else had in all Kartonia.
"They excite easily, don"t they?" Daruun chuckled. "Things are very different than they were before…"
The men didn"t say much until they returned to the privacy of the office, where they found a grandiose pot of spider stew and a stack of bowls.
Serving himself, Daruun spoke up, "So, Vixus, what are your intentions for the Leisure Guild?"
"I-I… I"m excited to join such a prominent guild and am excited to help revive it under the guidance of the Legend, who was able to summon even a G.o.d."
"There"s no need to be so nervous, Vixus. Just make sure to treat the guild right, or Jack will have to take care of you personally. Got it?" While intimidating Vixus with a smile, Daruun put his bowl to his lips, slurping away at the delicate broth. "Ah… It"s like I remembered. I"m glad that at least this remained from ancient times."
Argyle tried to think of something to ask that wouldn"t be put off for later, but he struggled to find such a question.
"Daruun, can you tell me what happened to Jack"s avatar?"
"I already told you, I"ll fill you all in about that once Jack wakes up." The men were confused at what Daruun said until the G.o.d added, "Oh right, Jack hasn"t fully leveled up your telepathy skill yet… I guess it won"t make much a difference to do this."
The same strange, transparent energy that had altered Mooldrat"s mind gathered around Bowzer"s forehead. It was gone in the blink of an eye, but the next thing that happened shocked them all.
"I can speak! I can speak!" the fox shouted. "I can speak like everyone else!"
"Calm down, little fox. You can speak normally now, but that"s all. All I did was max out the telepathy skill that Jack has ignored all this time. It won"t have any effect on his fate, so consider my thank to you, Bowzer. Thanks for staying with Jack all this time." Daruun nodded his head to the fox, smiling warmly.
"Thank you, Daruun!" The bowed in turn, giddy to finally feel more included with the party.
"How about I answer your question, as Jack wasn"t going to ask it anyway?" Daruun pointed at the beholder who was quite cramped in the back corner of the office. "You want to know what happened to your race, correct?"
With a nervous smile, Mooldrat bowed. "Thank you for thinking of me, oh great G.o.d of Fate."
"Like many other races, yours was hunted by the G.o.ds. They were forced to either partic.i.p.ate in the war or to be removed from existence," stated Daruun, startling everyone in the room apart from Mooldrat. "You beholders are proud, especially you Dark Beholders. Though the Scarlet Beholders and the Deep Beholders acquiesced and joined a side each, your people chose extinction, which is arguably my fault."
"Great G.o.d of Fate, don"t feel bad for me or my people. Unlike other races, our lifespans are enormous, which allows us to better remember things before the G.o.dly pantheons were formed. We were proud to fall so long as it proved to honor you, our--"
"That"s enough." Daruun held up a hand and used his energy to keep Mooldrat from moving his lips and tongue anymore. "That"s not something I"m willing to discuss right now, but I"m grateful to know that you and your people have remembered me after all these years."
Feeling the energy release his jaw, Mooldrat smiled and bowed, not uttering another word.
"As for what you just hear, don"t expect any explanations from me," stated Daruun, looking back to the startled men across from him. "That information is useless to you at the current moment, therefore, it"s useless to waste words on it. Let"s all eat and enjoy some soup while Jack recovers. In an hour or so, Kims should wake up and I"ll introduce myself to him as well."
While Daruun served himself seconds, Tralon sighed and served himself his first serving. Argyle was next and finally Vixus. Tralon also gave Bowzer a bowl and offered some to Mooldrat, who claimed to be full from his feast of rations.